The August Leave Peak: Running a Small Wash Care Label Factory with Human Touch
August is the peak season for employee leave in China. Some workers send their children back to their hometowns before school starts; others take their kids on summer vacations.
Running a small wash care label manufacturing facility requires human touch. Our daily wash label production runs on an assembly line that simply cannot afford to lose people—especially when someone is out for several consecutive days. What can you do? You roll up your sleeves and do it yourself.
In the workshop, I dare not drink too much water every day, afraid that frequent bathroom breaks will lower efficiency. So during this period, apart from work-related matters, I have no life to share. Business development has also slowed down.
But then again, if my team didn’t take leave, how would I have been forced onto the front line, handling every task with my own hands?
From Label Cutting to a 4-Million-Piece Wash Label Order
Often, it feels like fate has a plan.
Right after I learned label cutting , we received a massive 4-million-piece wash care label order. The worker responsible for this order took 5 days off. Her daily output was at least 100,000 pieces. Who could cover it? Only me.
So I stepped in.
Newbie in Pre-Press Plate Making: When the Client File Isn’t 1:1
Then, just days after I learned pre-press plate making for our flexographic printing plates, our plate maker’s grandfather passed away—leave that absolutely had to be granted. So I stepped up again and output 4 plates in total.
One client’s artwork file wasn’t in 1:1 scale. Lacking experience, I forgot to double-check the dimensions. That was a guaranteed error.
Let me tell you, the first time making engraved flexo plates, I was genuinely nervous and terrified of mistakes. When processing and typesetting files, you must pay extra attention to prevent missing content. One mistake in pre-press, and the entire production line cannot proceed.
Three Days on the Flexo Press: Printing 50,000 Wash Care Labels
This week, I just started learning to operate the flexographic press for printing wash care labels and printed wash labels—only three days of training under my belt. Immediately after, another master took leave to buy a new car.
Am I not allowed to learn new skills? They push me in rotation, leaving no room for slack. Human capability is probably forged this way.
Yet with such high-intensity work, I don’t feel tired at all. Yesterday, I personally operated the equipment to print 50,000 wash care labels. Because my speed was too slow, a job my master could finish in one morning took me until late afternoon, including overtime at noon.
But I completed it beautifully. Probably dopamine, plus a sense of achievement, gave me more energy rather than exhaustion.
Double-Sided Tear-Away Care Label: A Material Even Veterans Struggle With
In the evening, I also tried making a double-sided tear-away wash care label . After finally debugging the machine and registering the print, it immediately went out of register.
My master had warned me early: even veteran flexographic printers must pay extra attention to this material, constantly adjusting during production. So when it didn’t come out perfect, I didn’t have a trace of negative emotion.
Why Factory Heirs Should Master the Craft First
With one year of workshop and production experience, and just three days of hands-on machine operation, the factory masters say my skill level is comparable to a junior operator with one year under their belt. Maybe I was truly born for this line of work.
This period of covering shifts has made me more certain of one thing:
As a second-generation factory owner of a small label printing plant, while the older generation is still holding things up, you shouldn’t rush to chase orders. The top priority should be mastering industry techniques thoroughly—merely understanding them is not enough.
Today was another day in the workshop, busy until 10 p.m. before heading home.
I hope every position returns to normal soon. I want more time to spend with my child, and more time to think strategically about the business.
About Ruan Qiuyue
Not satisfied with your current care labels or wash labels?
At our facility, we specialize in high-quality printed care labels, wash labels, and garment tags using flexographic printing technology. Whether you need standard wash instructions or complex multi-color collision-printed labels , we ensure every detail is handled with precision—from pre-press plate making to final production.
———————
If you would like to know more about Ruan Qiuyue, you can follow her Facebook account.